ELEPHANT HILL SYRAH 2020

Elephant Hill take Syrah very seriously and this their ‘Estate’ version must be one the best value for money wines going.

Winery notes (2020 Vintage)
"This Syrah blend was grown in our three vineyards, perfectly combining soft, ripe berry fruit & delicate spiced flavours, smooth texture with underlying structure, medium body & freshness. A refined & silky Hawke's Bay Syrah from an exceptional vintage. 

Hand-picked Syrah was co-fermented with a small portion of Viognier to enhance aromatics and add further complexity. An extended time on les, building generous palate texture, with French oak aging for 22 months."

Rated Excellent & 93+/100 Cameron Douglas MS, April 2024 (2020 Vintage)
"There’s no mistaking the core bouquet of red berry fruits, some fresh black currant and peppercorn qualities in the bouquet. Scents are of a new, youthful and still settling in wine. This is confirmed on the palate with core flavours red berry fruits and balck currant set in a taut frame of youth accentuated by acidity and tannins. The use of oak is judicious and well placed. Well made with development time still ahead offering best drinking from 2026 through 2034+."

93/100 Stephen Wong, The Real Review, July 2024 (2020 Vintage)
"Dark crimson. A subtle, more muted nose with an inward quality. Suggestions of cinnamon, pepper, plum, blackberry and coffee with chocolate oak notes weaving in and out of the bouquet. The palate is showing the start of savoury development with late, integrated and smooth tannins. Overall, a seamless and well-measured package which has had time to come together nicely. The trimmed mid-weight flavours suggest the capacity to develop further in the near term. This wine is both elegant and sinewy in equal measure and drinking well now."

Reviews for the 2019 vintage below…

5 Stars & 93/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2022 (2019 Vintage)
"Gorgeously fruited and perfumed with Black Doris plum, spiced cherry, dark olive and smoked game nuances, it's succulent and supple in the mouth delivering excellent fruit purity and silky flow. Finely textured and lingering with a delightfully elegant finish. At its best: now to 2029."

5 Stars & 18.5/20 Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, May 2022 (2019 Vintage)
"Deep, ruby-red with a hint of purple underlay, lighter on the rim. The nose is gently full, with power and depth, penetrating aromas of blackberries and plums melded with dark herb and a hint of mealy, meaty note. Full-bodied, concentrated aromas of blackberries and plums enriched by dark herb, violet, savoury, meaty nuances and a touch of pepper. The wine is mouth-filling with weight and broadness, reflecting the concentrated fruit. Fine-grained, powdery tannin contributes to a smooth line direct by integrated, lacy acidity. This is a broody Syrah with rich and intense dark-fruited flavours, herbs and spice with mealy nuances on a smooth flowing, weighty palate. A blend of 99% Syrah, 1% viognier, from 40% Bridge Pa, 35% Te Awanga and 25% Gimblett Gravels. Handpicked and sorted, co-fermented with Viognier to 13.5% alc, aged 12 months approx, 20% new oak."

4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper, March 2024 (2019 Vintage)
"The fresh, vigorous 2019 vintage was hand-harvested in the Bridge Pa Triangle (40 per cent), Te Awanga (35 per cent), and the Gimblett Gravels (25 per cent). Co-fermented with Viognier (1 per cent), it was matured in French oak barriques. Full-coloured, it is a fragrant, strongly varietal red, mouthfilling and supple, with very good intensity of vibrant plum, black pepper and spice flavours, seasoned with nutty oak, and a finely textured, lingering finish. Retasted in 2024, it is still unfolding and likely to be at its best 2026+."